Within an integrated circuit (IC), a multi-channel signal processing system samples multiple data channels simultaneously in response to a common clock. Within the processing system, separate sampling units sample each data channel simultaneously. In large processing systems, switching effects that occur as each sampling unit captures its input signals can induce correlated noise errors. Consider, for example, sampling units provided within an image sensor. An image sensor may provide a sampling unit for each column of a sensor array, which may number in the thousands for modern arrays. Simultaneously switching the sampling units may induce noise from voltage supplies and other sources in the system which is captured as correlated noise in the signals captured by each sampling unit. In image sensor applications, the correlated noise may be a visible artifact in a recovered image signal.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide sampling techniques for multi-channel sampling systems that reduce correlated errors in the system.